Photo Credit: Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises recently announced the completion of the revitalization for the final Millennium Class ship, Celebrity Millennium. The $140-million "Solsticizing" of its Millennium Class ships added features that cruisers enjoy about Celebrity’s Solstice Class ships. The four Millennium Class ships completed the transformation over the course of a three week dry dock period. The ships now have one of my favorite aspects of cruising with Celebrity, the specialty dining restaurant, Blu.

Dining at Blu
Celebrity Cruises describes the restaurant:

“If the concept of "spa restaurant" causes you or your significant other to think you'll never see a steak or a rich dessert on the menu that is definitely not the case. The cuisine at Blu is simply an imaginative way of preparing popular dishes without fussiness or pretense. Tender steak is served with a flavorful truffle vinaigrette instead of a heavy béarnaise."

Blu is only available to guests staying in the AquaClass category of staterooms (Suite guests upon availability). The restaurant is open for breakfast and dinner every day.

Sample Salad course at Blu

The modern feel to Blu’s décor transcends to fresh foods and even the actual dishes they use, which offers a sleek presentation.  You forget that you’re on a cruise ship and feel like you’re out at a contemporary restaurant. Celebrity Cruises refers to Blu’s food as “clean cuisine" and this feeling of “clean” is also very visible in the décor.  The use of white as the main color with hints of blues contributes to the overall feel you get while dining there.

Sample Appetizer at Blu

Blu offers gourmet meals in innovative ways. I enjoyed trying new foods while dining there. The food didn’t taste mass produced but prepared just for me.  In addition to bread and butter on the table every night, you also received 3 tiny bowls that had hummus, vegetables, and ranch dressing in them as a snack while waiting for your meal. There was a steak on the menu the first night of the cruise we were on. My husband ordered it and raved about how delicious it tasted.  It was a key point of conversation over the next week as other cruisers’ first experience at Blu was just as memorable and kept them coming back each night.

Overall, I’m happy to see Celebrity Cruises expand this concept of fresh and “clean” food to additional boats in its fleet. I hope to see this theme continue to options in the main dining room as well as on other cruise lines.  Blu proves that a well-prepared meal using fresh and healthy ingredients can taste even better than one prepared with lots of butter, cream, and oil.